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Case #8005 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Dog-fighting - drugs, guns, 38 dogs seized
Maurice River, NJ (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Apr 6, 2006
County: Cumberland
Charges: Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Bruce G. Low, Jr
» Sabrina Melendez - Alleged
» Bruce G. Low, Sr
» Terri A. Low
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Four residents, one a state corrections officer, were arrested April 6 in a predawn raid that turned up a crack cocaine manufacturing operation set up in an underground bunker, and a cache of weapons with 15,000 rounds ammunition, authorities said.
A dog-fighting operation also was found and 38 dogs seized, most of which are being euthanized. In addition, a young alligator was confiscated.
Cumberland County Prosecutor Ronald Casella said the raid involved 100 law enforcement officers, some federal. The property is a large wooded tract at 5308 Route 49 near Hesstown Road.
The suspects are Bruce G. Low Jr., 27; Sabrina Melendez, 26, his girlfriend; Bruce G. Low Sr., 49, and Terri A. Low, 49, wife of Low Sr. and a guard at Bayside State Prison.
All were jailed, with large bail figures set.
Below is a list of items seized in the raid as reported by authorities.
DRUGS
745 grams of crack cocaine (Street value: $75,000)
1,600 grams of cocaine (Street value: $50,000)
466 morphine pills (Street value: $10,000)
2 drug presses, used to make cocaine
asssorted drug paraphernalia
FIREARMS
1 Smith & Wesson .357-caliber pistol, with hollow-point bullets
1 doublebarrelled shotgun
1 Remington .22-caliber rifle
1 loaded Ruger 9mm semiautomatic pistol, with two magazines.
15,000-plus rounds of assorted ammunition
OTHER
Cash, amount not calculated
4 computers
1 Harley Davidson motorcycle
1 Yamaha motorcycle
1 vehicle trailer
assorted camping supplies
Case UpdatesThe parents of a Millville man police and prosecutors said ran a major drug ring from the family's Maurice River Township home pleaded guilty Monday to possession of cocaine.
Bruce Low Sr. and Teri Low, both 50, were released from the Cumberland County Jail where they have been held since federal, state and local law enforcement officers raided their rural Route 49 property.
The raid resulted in the seizure of four pounds of powdered and rock cocaine, 366 morphine pills, several firearms, 15,000 rounds of ammunition and 35 dogs bred for fighting, police said.
But prosecutors have determined that Bruce Low, Jr., 28, was the leader of the operation that police said manufactured crack cocaine in an underground bunker.
And Superior Court Judge John Waters said the couple has served nearly 10 months in jail since the April 6, 2006 raid.
The couple has been held in lieu of $200,000 bail each since their arrest.
Bruce Low Sr. will be sentenced to probation when he next appears before Judge Waters.
Teri Low, a senior corrections officer at Bayside State Prison, will apply for participation in the county's Pre-Trial Intervention Program for first-time offenders.
She will avoid a criminal conviction if she successfully completes the program's requirements, Waters said.
First Assistant Prosecutor Kenneth Pagliughi said Teri Low also will forfeit her job with the state and not be allowed to hold public employment for the rest of her life.
The couple faced a nine-count indictment charging them with:
* Possession of cocaine and morphine.
* Possession of cocaine and morphine with intent to distribute.
* Conspiracy to operate a drug manufacturing facility.
* Committing a drug offense while possessing a firearm.
* Endangering the welfare of a child for possessing drugs in the same house where their 2-year-old grandchild lived.
Teri Low also faced a 10th charge of misconduct in office for being charged with a crime while holding public employment.
They could have faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted of any part of the long list of offenses, Pagliughi said.
Bruce Low Jr. faces 10 years to life in federal prison when he is sentenced in April, according to Pagliughi.
The younger Low pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of more than 50 ounces of cocaine and possession of two firearms by a convicted person.
In addition to the prison sentence, Bruce Low Jr. faces more than $4 million in fines and is yet to be sentenced in municipal court to charges of operating a dog-fighting facility.
He has been held in federal custody since April 26, 2006.
The last person to face charges is Saibrina Melendez, 26, who faces the same charges as the elder Lows, but will be required to serve a prison term for what Pagliughi said was her part in the operation run by her boyfriend, Bruce Low Jr.
At Monday's hearing, Charles Sandilos, Melendez's attorney, said his client needed more time to think about the plea bargain offered by prosecutors.
Although the original agreement required Melendez to serve seven years in prison, subsequent offers cut that time to four years with a chance of parole within a year.
While Waters told Melendez to plead guilty only if she is guilty, he also warned her of the consequences of being found guilty of the charges filed against her after the April 2006 raid.
"Don't plead guilty unless you know in your heart that you're guilty," Waters said.
Melendez, who was freed on $10,000 bail shortly after the raid, left the courthouse with orders to return on Feb. 20 with her answer on whether she will plead guilty or, as Waters said "stand before this court with the presumption of innocence." | Source: Daily Journal - Jan 23, 2007
Update posted on Jan 26, 2007 - 12:15PM |
A Maurice River man arrested in April on drug, firearms and dog-fighting charges has been turned over to federal authorities for prosecution.
Bruce Low, Jr., 27, of the 5300 block of Route 49, made his first appearance in federal court here as U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Donio read the charges against Low, which include distributing more than 50 grams of crack cocaine.
He faces a sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison and up to $44 million in fines if convicted on the drug distribution charge, according to federal statutes.
Low would have faced severe penalties if tried in state Superior Court, but would not have been eligible for a life sentence, under state law.
Low was transferred from Cumberland County Jail to a federal facility and is being held on the same $600,000 bail imposed after his arrest almost a month ago.
On April 6, more than 100 state, county, federal and local law enforcement officers raided the rural house of Low's parents on a 60-acre tract of pines and scrub oaks east of Millville.
In addition to Bruce Low Jr., authorities arrested his parents -- Bruce Low Sr. and Teri Low, both 49 -- as well as his girlfriend, Saibrina Melendez, 26, of Vineland.
Officers recovered about 1.5 pounds of crack cocaine, about 3.5 pounds of powered cocaine, 466 morphine pills, five firearms and 15,000 rounds of ammunition
In addition, they uncovered an underground bunker equipped for making crack cocaine from powdered cocaine, an above-ground facility for training fighting dogs, and 35 adult pit bull terriers, authorities said.
Melendez is charged with weapons offenses and, along with Bruce Low Jr., for endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities found a 2-year-old child in the same area as drugs and firearms.
Bruce Low Sr. and Teri Low were charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child because of the presence of a 6-year-old child and a 10-year-old child in an area with drugs and firearms, officials said.
On Friday, Bruce Low Sr. appeared before Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell for a hearing to reduce his bail, which was set at $250,000 at the time of his arrest.
Last week, Farrell reduced Teri Low's bail from $250,000 to $200,000. A former corrections officer at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, she remains in the county jail.
After defense attorney Neil Hartman asked Farrell to reduce bail for Bruce Low Sr., as he had for Teri Low, Assistant Prosecutor David Branco said there was a difference between the two defendants.
While both owned the property where the son is accused of running drug and dog-fighting operations, Branco said, the father had a special tie to the drug activity.
"Mr. Low got crack cocaine from his son," Branco said. "Mr. Low was aware of his son's activities."
A taped statement Bruce Low Sr. made after the raid indicated the father was aware of the operation, including the bunker, Branco said.
Hartman said his client denies the accusations and noted Bruce Low Sr. was a lifelong resident of the area and ran his own landscaping business.
"All the evidence is circumstantial," Hartman said. "And if he doesn't get out of jail, he will lose his house."
Farrell said Bruce Low Sr. was entitled to a reduction in bail; noting the seriousness of the charges, he lowered it to $200,000.
Neither defendant has posted bail, according to court records.
Hearings are expected soon for Bruce Low Sr., Teri Low and Melendez, who was released on $10,000 bail. | Source: Daily Journal - June 3, 2006
Update posted on Jun 16, 2006 - 10:57PM |
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